Greenhouse gases: embodied carbon building materials.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not mention specific impacts on builders or deadlines for measuring carbon levels.

Greenhouse Gases: Building Materials with Lower Carbon

This law requires the State Air Resources Board to check if building materials that have less carbon cost the same as regular ones before making new rules about them.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the State Air Resources Board to decide whether lower-carbon building materials are equally priced with normal ones.
• If lower-carbon materials are not equal in price, delays or stops new rules for at least five years.
• Allows the board to keep checking and delaying until lower-carbon materials cost the same as regular ones.

Who It Names or Affects

• The State Air Resources Board

Terms To Know

Embodied Carbon

The amount of carbon dioxide produced during the making and transporting of a product.

Cost Parity

When two things cost about the same amount of money.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify what happens if lower-carbon materials never reach cost parity.
• The bill does not detail how long it will take to implement after reaching cost parity.
• It is unclear who exactly would be responsible for enforcing the new rules.

Official Summary Text

AB 1704, as amended, Mark González.
Greenhouse gases: embodied carbon building materials.
Existing law requires, by December 31, 2026, the State Air Resources Board, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, as provided, to develop a framework for measuring the average carbon intensity of the materials used in the construction of new buildings, including those for residential uses. Existing law requires, by December 31, 2028, the state board to develop a comprehensive strategy for the state’s building sector to achieve a 40% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of building materials, as specified, as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2035. Existing law authorizes the state board to establish an embodied carbon trading system, as defined, in compliance with these requirements, as provided.
This bill would require the state board to determine whether the cost of building materials with lower embodied carbon have
reached cost parity with conventional building materials before implementing the above-described provisions. If the state board determines that building materials with lower embodied carbon have not reached cost parity with conventional building materials, the bill would require the state board to delay or suspend, as applicable, implementation of those provisions for not less than 5
years. The bill would authorize the state board to continue to make that determination and delay or suspend those provisions for not less than 5 years until the state board determines that building materials with lower embodied carbon have reached cost parity with conventional building materials, at which time the bill would require the state board to implement those provisions. The bill also would make conforming changes.
years, not to exceed 10 years in total.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF